I watched a man I loved die breath by breath. My father had emphysema at the end of his life, a disease of being choked. Did he smoke-yes as did many in his time. This was the last of many diseases that broke him down-physically and yet awakened his humanity even more.

This man taught me the value of each breath in other ways as well. Dad taught me to never leave a person or go to bed angry. I have worked with this even when the people I was angry with did not want peace, I found peace within.

Dad valued life, beauty, people, conversation and his family. Things were not as important, and yet he provided for mom and us and made sure we had what we needed including funds for college before he died.

Dad was curious and always reading and exploring nuances of life-philosophy, politics, religion and popular mechanics.

When badgered to join us at church, he said the people who went to church needed to go. He was the fairest, most unconditionally loving man, and lived it with all.

Dad told me life was an illusion, he saw the manipulation, greed and deeper truths of what goes on behind the scenes in all areas of life and told me not to believe anything, stay awake, be curious and discern. This has helped me everyday for over 50 years.

He had many friends and he always told them the truth and they loved him for it.

Dad was funny, always teasing and seeing humor in life, even when we were crying watching him suffer.

He taught me the power of the will to survive as he kept going 20 years after the doctors gave up and over and over again throughout that time. I began to realize the power we all had and began to explore and learn how to use it.

What I changed from my Dad’s leading was to learn to thrive and listen to my body and self and take exquisite care of me. I took days off of work before I got so sick I would be out for a month. I ate healthy food and rested, exercised and did not take medicine and found a way for my body to heal.

Dad wanted to stay alive but his generation depended on medicine and not self-healing and took more and more medicine instead of looking to change the causes of disease. He pushed himself beyond what was healthy and kept breaking down. He wanted to provide for his family and that was his focus at great cost to all of us.

I began working at ten to pay for things for me, I wanted to help by buying things I wanted and did not mind, it made me feel good to take responsibility for me.

Value of quality of life was something I learned from becoming very sick myself; I figured out that I had a choice. I wanted to live a long healthy, happy life and knew it was all up to me to create it and was curious to learn how.

Dad gave me riches that went beyond money and left a legacy of love that is everlasting. What I did with it has been up to me. No matter how tough things became love has always ruled my heart and mind and seen me through to healing and peace.

True value for me is living love in each breath and letting go of the rest. A life of love is never wasted and always nourishes many.

Your legacy goes beyond earthly treasures. The treasures of love know no bounds on heaven and earth. Invest in developing love and let go of any thought, word or action that is not love.

What do you value?

What did your father leave you as a legacy that helped you become a better you?

How can you leave something of value to your decedents?

What did you learn from your father that you could change and improve for the next generations?